Doctor Lilandra Jovel specialised in the diagnosis of the strange, the unusual, and the unexpected. Ever since Monsters came to the surface, there had been all kinds of strange encounters. With equally strange results. And sometimes, the revelation of an old scandal.

"He just eats and eats and eats," said the mother. "But look at him. He's all skin and bones."

Lil raised an eyebrow. The kid had not changed into the patient's smock. They were still wearing their monster-made attire. "Change into the smock, please," Lil intoned.

The kid shook their head, glancing fearfully towards his mother.

"You will examine my son as he is. We have the right to our decency."

Lil stared the mother right in her eye. "Hospital policy decrees that all patients must be in their smocks. If they are not in smocks, they do not get treated. Do you want your son to receive treatment, ma'am?"

At the mother's hesitation, Lil added, "Please keep in mind that all examination sessions are recorded to ensure all patents' security and doctor's proper duty of care."

The mother glared boiling hellfire at Lil and growled, "Of course I want my son to receive treatment," through gritted teeth. "May we request a monsterfibre smock?"

Now there was an odd request. "Why do you need one?" Lil asked the boy.

The mother snatched the folio out of Lil's hands, and scribbled an addition to the form. "Honestly. You forget one thing and they treat you like a criminal around here."

But Lil was already looking through her Truesight monocle. The boy wasn't skinny. He was half-Skeleton. And his - no. Her magic was just starting to come in.

Human clothing would have stopped at the ghostflesh, showing off the fact that she was a girl and not - as her mother assumed - a boy.

"YOU PUT THAT THING AWAY! I NEVER GAVE MY CONSENT FOR MY SON TO BE STARED AT THROUGH THAT... THAT ABOMINATION! IT'S AGAINST OUR RELIGION FOR YOU TO USE THOSE!"

"Ma'am... there's no such religion. You are failing to conceal both an affair with a Skeleton, and a transgender child. As such, it is my legal obligation to notify the authorities unless you stop shrieking right now!"

Silence. Blessed, peaceful silence.

Lil allowed herself a breath. "Now..." she checked the name. "McKaydin... It's perfectly okay to feel like you're wrong, right now. That's your inner self fighting against what everyone tells you what your outer self is. And the hunger is perfectly normal for a Skeleton coming into their magic."

"...'m really part skeleton?" murmured McKaydin.

"Yes. It's undeniable."

Hollow eyes glanced sidelong at the mother. Trying to find a hint that she was not who she pretended to be.

"There must have been some mix-up when he was born."

"She," corrected Lil. "Where there any other apparent boys in your ward?"

Glare. "No," she iced.

"I'm fairly certain someone else would have noticed their son going missing," eased Lil. "Especially from another ward. We can run genetic tests, but all that will do is prove your infidelity. In the meantime, given what I've seen of your treatment of McKaydin... I'm going to have to revoke your parental privilege of medical consent. We will have a counsellor here in half an hour. Please do not make me summon the orderlies."

"...d's that mean i can get shots if i want 'em?" squeaked McKaydin.

Lil fought a wince. Of course the mother would be anti-vax. Of course she would. It just made the train wreck of this kid's life, so far, complete. "Once all the paperwork is filed, yes."

The mother started shrieking like a rabid baboon. Lil did have to summon the orderlies to drag her backwards out of the clinic and into a soft room where she received some super-effective sedatives. She would try to sue, but there would be evidence, by then, of her neglect and mistreatment of her daughter.

A daughter who could successfully attempt to find her Skeleton counter-parent, get whatever vaccinations she liked, and possibly apply to become a liberated minor. A daughter who may very well take off for New Monster Home[1] and never look back.